Who we are
MEET THE EAI TEAM
EAI employs a number of full and part-time technicians to assist senior staff with a variety of field and laboratory activities. Additionally, EAI has established a broad and diverse network of associate scientists whose expertise can be drawn upon as project demands dictate. EAI also has excellent working relationships with a number of state-certified laboratories that can perform a broad spectrum of chemical analyses on ground water, surface water, and sediment samples.
Stan DeForest
President/CEO Ecological Associates, Inc.
MBA Business Management, Cornell University, S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Kettering University
Stan serves as the President and CEO of Ecological Associates, Inc. He has over 20 years’ experience and a wide ranging and diverse background of technical and general management in large and small companies. It is Stan’s personal belief that being socially and environmentally responsible and being a successful business can go hand-in-hand. Stan is heavily involved in identifying new ways in which emerging technologies can be adapted and applied to the services EAI provides.
Niki Desjardin
Director of Operations
M.S. Biology, Florida Atlantic University
B.S. Biology, University of Richmond
Niki has over 15 years of experience managing protected species monitoring programs and coordinating/conducting field work in Florida. Her work focuses on the implementation of sea turtle and shorebird permit-compliance monitoring for coastal construction projects (pre-construction through post-construction). Niki confirms monitoring protocols meet conditions of all state and federal permits and Biological Opinions and attends pre-construction conferences and coordinates with state and federal agencies, engineering firms, and local stakeholders. Niki also has experience preparing Biological and Environmental Assessments and HCPs for public and private sector clients. She is responsible for the management and oversight of EAI’s Coastal Protected Species Division, ensuring projects perform according to the highest quality standards, are within budget, and are timely. Niki serves as EAI’s Director of Operations, coordinating with the Company CEO on strategic planning, supporting business development, and overseeing senior staff.
Mark Mohlmann
Senior Project Manager
B.S. Biology, George Mason University
Mark has over 21 years’ experience designing, implementing, and managing large scale projects in the aquatic sciences. Responsible for programs including CWA 316(a) and 316(b) projects, turbidity compliance monitoring, taxonomic analysis, seagrass monitoring, biological characterization studies, and assorted marine-oriented projects within EAI. He is the primary database management developer for the company with over 20 active project databases. Mark is a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) and American Fisheries Society (AFS) and has been an active participant in the Florida Interagency Calibration Exercise to standardize seagrass scoring and data collection across agencies and universities in Florida for the last ten years.
Christina Macon
Senior Project Manager
B.S. Biology, Florida Atlantic University
Christina has 10 years of professional training and experience in land management principles, wildlife surveys, native flora identification, natural resource impacts, mitigation calculations, environmental resource permitting, mangrove trimming and removal permitting, and compliance inspections for environmental regulations. She also has specialized experience in proprietary authorizations, lease inspections, conservation land protections, and water quality sampling protocols for multiple State agencies.
Carrie Scarola
Project Manager
B.A. Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University – Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Carrie has 12 years of professional experience in protected species surveys and observation, permit-compliance turbidity and water quality monitoring, environmental assessments, benthic macroinvertebrate community ecology, submerged aquatic vegetation monitoring, and sediment analysis. She is the primary polychaete taxonomist and serves as the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Officer and Health and Safety Officer for the company.
Aquatic Sciences
Matt Scripter – Senior Scientist
Lead Taxonomist and Statistical Analysis
Ph.D. Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
M.S. Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
B.S. Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
Erica Oliva – Biologist
Laboratory Coordinator and Taxonomist
B.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University
Coastal Protected Species
Grace Botson – Senior Scientist
Habitat Conservation Planning, Data and Reporting Integrity
M.S. Biology, Florida Atlantic University
B.A. Marine Biology, Boston University
Lauren Maline – Biologist
Sea Turtle Nesting Specialist
B. A. Marine Biology, St. Francis University
Joseph Pessolano – Biologist
Sea Turtle Nesting Specialist
B. S. Coastal Biology, University of North Florida
Liz Ranalli – Biologist
Sea Turtle Nesting Specialist
B. S. Biology, Sonoma State University
Jaymie Reneker – Biologist
Sea Turtle Nesting Specialist – Volusia County
M.S. Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington
B.S. Biology, Iowa State University
Joseph Scarola – Biologist
Sea Turtle Nesting Supervisor and Lighting Specialist
B.S. Biology, University of California Los Angeles
Environmental Resource Management
Laurie Allnatt – Biologist
GIS and Mapping Specialist
B.A. Geography, Florida Atlantic University
Keith Dawson – Biologist
GIS Specialist
B.S. Geography, Florida Atlantic University
Katie Grablow – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting, Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
M.S. Biology, University of Central Florida
B.S. Biology, University of Central Florida
Rachel King – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting, Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
M.S. Ecology – University of Georgia
B.S. Biology – University of Central Florida
Andrew Luering – Biologist
Field Technician Coordinator and Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
B.S. Biology, University of North Florida
Julie Mitchell – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting
M.S. Marine Biology and Coastal Zone Management, Nova Southeastern University
B.S. Biology, Florida State University